"Blair is a very good tennis player," Scrivano said. "More importantly, her intangibles are her biggest strength. She's a fighter who is very mature for her age and has a great understanding of the team concept. Blair handles herself like an experienced tour player, which is something we noticed immediately when she was a youngster playing junior tournaments. We're excited that she's a Baylor bear."

Shankle is currently listed among 30 players that tennisrecruiting.net classifies as blue-chip athletes. She is the only one from the state of Texas to be given that distinction, which the recruiting site reserves for its highest-ranked prospects.

"Baylor was a great fit for me with it having an exceptional tennis program with great coaches," Shankle said. "What attracted me first to Baylor was that it is a Christian school and a strong academic school. It was also close to home for me and being close to my family was definitely a consideration when looking at schools."

Shankle has played in the US Open juniors, won a pair of tournaments in doubles and made three quarterfinals in singles.

"I am looking forward to being on a team and the camaraderie that comes with it," Shankle said. "I feel I am an all-court player who likes to come to the net, but my greatest strength is probably how competitive I am."

Follow the official Twitter account of the women's tennis program @BaylorWTennis for updates on the team throughout the season.